ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture combined with neck-skin electrical stimulation (NSES) on dysphagia in patients with cerebral infarction (CI). METHODS: A total of 120 CI patients with dysphagia were randomly divided into acupuncture group, NSES group and acupuncture + NSES group (combined treatment group, n = 40 in each group). Acupuncture stimulation of Fengchi (GB20), Yifeng (TE 17), etc., and blood-letting of Jinjin (EX-HN 12) and Yuye (EX-HN 13) were administrated. NSES was applied to the bilateral sites of the neck-median line. The treatment was given once daily for two weeks. The swallow function and swallow dysfunction degree of the dysphasia patients were evaluated by water swallow test and food-intake scale, respectively. RESULTS: After one week's and two weeks' treatment, the water swallow score and swallow dysfunction score were significantly improved in the acupuncture, NSES and combined treatment groups (P<0. 01), and the difference values between pre- and post-treatment of the water swallow score and swallow ability score in the combined treatment group were obviously higher than those of the acupuncture and NSES groups (P<0. 01, P<0. 05). No significant differences were found between the acupuncture and NSES groups in both the water swallow score and swallow ability score after one and two weeks' treatment (P>0. 05). Of the three 40 cases in the acupuncture, NSES and combined treatment groups, 16, 18 and 27 were basically cured, 2, 3 and 5 experienced marked improvement, 15, 13 and 7 were improved, and 7, 6 and 1 failed in the treatment, with the effective rates being 82.5%, 85.0% and 97. 5%, respectively. The therapeutic effect of the combined treatment group was apparently superior to that of the simple acupuncture and simple NSES groups (P<0. 01). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture and NSES intervention is effective in improving dysphasia in CI patients and the effect of combined treatment of acupuncture and NSES is obviously better than that of the simple acupuncture and simple NSES.